India witnesses a surge in voice calls during lockdown

In the first week of the ongoing nationwide lockdown, Preeti Ghosh, a salesperson from a technology firm, called a college mate, resurrecting ties that had been dormant for over 16 years. Ghosh is not alone. Quite a few Indians are checking in on family, friends and colleagues as the lockdown has meant social distancing and work from home for just about everybody.

In fact, there was a 15-20% increase in voice calls through mobile phones, especially in the initial few days of the lockdown that began on March 25, as people reconnected to hear expressions of surprise, joy and concern from loved ones which would otherwise have been through emoticons and or dry text messages. “People are no longer meeting face to face and voice is the only other thing which gives a sense of security and familiarity and can be a good way to beat loneliness,” said Tarun Pathak, associate director, mobile services and ecosystems at industry tracker Counterpoint Research.